System and Method for Providing On-Demand High-Availability Service on a Storage Cluster

1. A computer-implemented method for providing on-demand high-availability service on a storage cluster, comprising: adding a new single-node appliance to the storage cluster, wherein the storage cluster includes one or more original single-node appliances and an internal remote system configured to facilitate intra-cluster orchestration operations; generating a remote system object representing the new single-node appliance in the internal remote system; determining an appliance identifier for the remote system object representing the new single-node appliance; in response to determining that the appliance identifier for the remote system object representing the new single-node appliance is a non-zero appliance identifier, establishing an internal remote session between the remote system object and the storage cluster; presenting the one or more original single-node appliances and the new single-node appliance as a unified system; and provisioning one or more protected storage volumes on any of the single-node appliances included in the unified system, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes identifying the internal remote session with a matching non-zero appliance identifier.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes selecting a destination appliance to at least partially replicate data onto.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes automatically establishing the internal remote session between single-node appliances in the unified system for a protected volume from the one or more protected volumes.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: removing a selected single-node appliance from the storage cluster.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein removing the selected single-node appliance from the storage cluster includes excluding the selected single-node appliance from a list of possible destinations, such that no new protected volumes can be created thereon.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein removing the selected single-node appliance from the storage cluster includes locating and terminating any internal remote sessions to the selected single-node appliance.

7. A computer program product residing on a non-transitory computer- readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: adding a new single-node appliance to the storage cluster, wherein the storage cluster includes one or more original single-node appliances and an internal remote system configured to facilitate intra-cluster orchestration operations; generating a remote system object representing the new single-node appliance in the internal remote system; determining an appliance identifier for the remote system object representing the new single-node appliance; in response to determining that the appliance identifier for the remote system object representing the new single-node appliance is a non-zero appliance identifier, establishing an internal remote session between the remote system object and the storage cluster; presenting the one or more original single-node appliances and the new single-node appliance as a unified system; and provisioning one or more protected storage volumes on any of the single-node appliances included in the unified system, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes identifying the internal remote session with a matching non-zero appliance identifier.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes selecting a destination appliance to at least partially replicate data onto.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes automatically establishing the internal remote session between single-node appliances in the unified system for a protected volume from the one or more protected volumes.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein operations further comprise: removing a selected single-node appliance from the storage cluster.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein removing the selected single-node appliance from the storage cluster includes excluding the selected single-node appliance from a list of possible destinations, such that no new protected volumes can be created thereon.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein removing the selected single-node appliance from the storage cluster includes locating and terminating any internal remote sessions to the selected single-node appliance.

13. A computing system for providing on-demand high-availability service on a storage cluster, comprising: a memory; and a processor configured to: add a new single-node appliance to the storage cluster, wherein the storage cluster includes one or more original single-node appliances and an internal remote system configured to facilitate intra-cluster orchestration operations; generate a remote system object representing the new single-node appliance in the internal remote system; determine an appliance identifier for the remote system object representing the new single-node appliance; in response to determining that the appliance identifier for the remote system object representing the new single-node appliance is a non-zero appliance identifier, establish an internal remote session between the remote system object and the storage cluster; present the one or more original single-node appliances and the new single-node appliance as a unified system; and provision one or more protected storage volumes on any of the single-node appliances included in the unified system, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes identifying the internal remote session with a matching non-zero appliance identifier.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes selecting a destination appliance to at least partially replicate data onto.

15. The computing system of claim 13, wherein provisioning the one or more protected volumes includes automatically establishing the internal remote session between single-node appliances in the unified system for a protected volume from the one or more protected volumes.

16. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: remove a selected single-node appliance from the storage cluster.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein removing the selected single-node appliance from the storage cluster includes excluding the selected single-node appliance from a list of possible destinations, such that no new protected volumes can be created thereon.